Smriti Mandhana’s Record Rampage Stuns Women’s Cricket

New Delhi, September 04, 2026 Smriti Mandhana turned India’s Women’s T20 Asia Cup clash against Hong Kong-China into a historic night, producing a record-breaking century that powered her team to a massive 137-run victory. Her remarkable innings not only gave India complete control of the contest but also saw the star opener surpass some of the biggest milestones in women’s international cricket. Asked to bat on a slow Dubai surface, India gradually built momentum through Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Shafali provided the early attacking push before departing for 28, while Pratika Rawal scored 10. Mandhana initially played with patience, reaching her half-century in 41 balls, before unleashing a powerful assault in the final overs. She smashed three successive sixes in the 18th over and completed her century in 58 balls, becoming the first Indian woman batter to register two T20I hundreds. Her 124 off 64 balls, featuring 14 fours and seven sixes, also became the highest individual score in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history. The innings carried Mandhana beyond former India captain Mithali Raj’s tally of 10,868 international runs, making her the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket with 10,880 runs. Her 18th international century across formats also took her past Australia’s Meg Lanning as the leading century-maker in women’s international cricket. ICC Chairman Jay Shah congratulated her, writing, “Heartiest congratulations to Smriti Mandhana on becoming the highest run-scorer (10,880*) and the leading century-maker (18) in Women’s International Cricket,” Shah wrote in an Instagram story on Thursday. “Your journey is a testament to elegance, consistency and sheer hard work. You have not only rewritten the record books, but also redefined aspirations for millions of young girls and boys across India and the world,” he added. Mandhana was eventually run out on the penultimate delivery after a mix-up with Bharti Fulmali, while Richa Ghosh made 11 and Harmanpreet Kaur scored 10 as India posted 193/5. The Indian bowlers then completed the job in dominant fashion, dismissing Hong Kong-China for only 56. Despite the convincing win, India’s middle order contributed just 34 runs, an area that could require attention in the matches ahead. Still, the biggest takeaway from the night was Mandhana’s extraordinary command over the record books. From becoming women’s cricket’s highest international run-scorer to setting a new benchmark for international centuries, her innings was a statement of consistency, class and ambition. India may have won the match comfortably, but Mandhana’s historic 124 ensured that the performance would be remembered far beyond the Asia Cup.